


Cotton Candy Nightmares

by Starshearted (cthulhucorp)



Series: That one Asura Redemption AU [2]
Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, LETS GET IN ON THESE BRO TAGS, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 03:05:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10822428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cthulhucorp/pseuds/Starshearted
Summary: Everything is fun and games until Vajra begins to bleed.





	Cotton Candy Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> i'm incredibly tired

This had become a near-daily occurrence. Well... maybe that was an exaggeration. Maybe more... weekly. Bi-weekly, during better months. This was not exactly a "better month", though, that was for sure.

The nightmares start out normal. Maybe even more than normal. Repetition of memories Asura had thought he had long since lost, but perhaps were just buried within the confines of his recovering mind. Sitting outside of one of many tents that littered the makeshift camp Death and his warriors had set up. Sitting on a log around a small fire with the rest of the warriors. Vajra's hand rested in his. Perhaps that was where memories began to bend and twisted into fiction. There was no holding hands between Asura and Vajra- At least not in front of Lord Death, of all people. Perhaps Eibon, but the others?

Never.

Death would have slaughtered them both. Falling in love wasn't exactly one of their duties as his warriors.

The fire flickers and dies. All is dark. All is still.

Suddenly, Asura is no longer sitting. Standing in the darkness, golden eyes flicking wildly around the complete darkness. "Vajra?" he'd squeak, bringing his hands close to his chest, grappling at the edges of the scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. Breath comes out rapid, the darkness growing thicker and colder. "Vajra!" he shrieked. A step is taken backwards, Asura turning on his heel.

He comes face to face with a much too pale face.

A scream rises and catches in Asura's throat.

It is Vajra. It is not Vajra. Blue veins appear from beneath the sickly pale skin, brown eyes wide and staring more than just a thousand yard stare. The dull black locks that fall from his head, matted with mud and caked in blood, are curled from being released from the braid that the kishin so vividly remembered the weapon wearing. Asura steps back, breathing hard and heavy. That dull gaze turns slowly, staring through the kishin. Vajra coughs.

Once. Twice. Thrice.

Asura remembers this nightmare.

Blood pours from the dead man's mouth like a god damn water fountain upon the third cough, bending over as two pale and shaking hands come to grasp at his own throat. Those eyes stare into Asuras. Pleading. Begging.

"A-As-su-ra-"

He would close his eyes if he could.

"He-e-lp-"

This is a nightmare. This is a nightmare. This is not real.

"Help m-e-e"

Asura can't tear his gaze away as the blood begins to leak from his eyes, from his nose. Vajra is dying. Vajra is already dead. Asura's own shaking hands come up to grasp at his own hair, heaving out labored breaths and taking steps backwards. No matter how many steps he takes he can not get away from the bleeding man in front of him. The man whose eyes bare into his, whose rasping and croaking words come out in the voice of a dead man, a man who isn't alive, who died 800 years ago, who- who-

"As-u-ra-"

 

The kishin wheezes. "You're not real-"

"Asu--ra-"

He shakes his head, pulling his hands over his eyes. "Not real, you're not real, this isn't real."

"As-s-ur-a!"

"YOU'RE NOT-

* * *

-REAL"

_smack._

It takes a moment for Asura to realize his hand has come into contact with something warm. Something soft. His eyes opened slowly, widely, scarlet gaze staring. Kidd sits on his knees before him, rubbing his cheek with a pained cringe on his face. Asura doesn't miss a beat before breaking out into a fit of crying and sobbing, bringing his knees close to his chest.

Kidds gaze is soft when he turns his head back to look at his older brother, still attempting to rub away the stinging of his cheek. "Asura," the younger reaper spoke. Calm. Collected. "You were having... one of those nightmares again."

The bi-weekly occurrence of not quite waking from a nightmare. He didn't usually end up striking his brother, though. That was most certainly something newer to add to the mental list of 'things that are fucked up with me' Asura had begun to form within his head. "I know," the kishin squeaks out in response, pressing his face against his knees.

"Was it the same one?"

Asura hummed out a 'mhm', hugging his knees tighter.

It falls silent for a small moment. Asura raises his head from his knees, looking blearily at Kidd. The young reaper's hair is sticking up in places, dark bags far too noticeable beneath his exhausted eyes. A quick glance to the open window on the far side of the room assures the Kishin that this is, indeed, a night occurance. Logic would state that is the reason behind Kidd's clear exhaustion. But that doesn't stop Asura from cringing and placing his head back against his knees, a voice in his head reprimanding him, asking him what the hell he's doing to his younger brother.

No child should have to deal with this.

"I'm not a child."

Asura blinks. It takes a moment for him to realize that was spoken out loud. He raises his head again, staring at the exhausted young man before him. "You are to me."

"But I'm not," Kidd defends, narrowing his eyes. "This is..." a small pause. Kidd is trying to find his words, glancing off to the side. "..Sort of why I'm here, I suppose? I'm here to help you."

"Why."

"Because you're my brother." It takes no thinking for that response to fall from Kidd's mouth, bright gold eyes turning back to stare at the tired adult before him. "It was my decision to help you better yourself. And I'm... going to stick by that decision."

"...Why?"

Kidd doesn't groan, or roll his eyes, or laugh at him. Kidd just stared with a soft gaze. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

Asura lets his legs drog, sitting cross legged in front of his baby brother. "You can't change what I am."

"Maybe not," Kidd shrugs," But that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm not here to force you to be something else, that's not something I can do," theres a pause, before Kidd smiles tiredly. "But you have been changing."

"...Have i?"

"Well, you're not killing me, so that's certainly a change."

Asura laughs a little, a sound he had almost forgotten he could make genuinely, without the prompt of his own mental shattering.

"And you're laughing like a normal person! That's the biggest change of all!" Kidd nudges his shoulder.

"You're a mean little man," Asura said softly, smiling down at the little reaper.

"I'm sure plenty would agree. However," Kidd yawned, flopping down against the pillows beside his brother. "I am also a TIRED little man. Will you join me?"

"What if I have another nightmare?"

"Hmm," Kidd stared up at the ceiling. "It's almost six in the morning. I'm not sure you'll even have enough time for a nightmare."

Despite his own worry, Asura laid down as well, watching his little brother. "I'll just lay here."

"Alright then," Kidd mumbled, closing his eyes. "Wake me up at six."

"Of course, will do."

"You better."

 


End file.
